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Low Wood Farm: bringing an ancient woodland site into management

Low Wood Farm: bringing an ancient woodland site into management

Project overview

  • Location - Fellbeck in the Nidderdale AONB
  • Woodland Area - 16ha
  • Woodland Type - currently unmanaged mixed native and non-native broadleaves and conifers, much of which classified as Ancient and Semi Natural and Plantation on Ancient Woodland Site woodland
  • Timeframe of engagement - February 2022 to present
  • Woodland Management Objectives – improve the biodiversity values of the woodlands, produce timber and firewood for use on the farm selling any excess where feasible
  • Outcomes - myForest Woodland Assessor rating and UKFS compliant Woodland Management Plan leading to some operational activity starting in late 2022/early 2023. Application for Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier funding to be made in Spring 2023 to support costs of ongoing woodland management.


Undertaking proactive woodland management

When the owners of Low Wood Farm acquired the 16ha woodland in 2020, they took it on from previous owners who did not carry out any proactive woodland management and only intervened where safety or access to the property was an issue.

As a result, the new owners took part in phase 1 of the Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Funds (WiMFIF), accessing and utilising the myForest Woodland Assessor tool. This identified the owner’s background knowledge of woodland management and objectives for bringing their woodland at Low Farm into management. Key areas of discussion centred around general forestry practice, biodiversity, climate change, historic environment, landscape, people, soil, water and the management planning process.

Following the woodland assessor process, a member of the project team assisted the owners with preparing a United Kingdom Forestry Standard compliant woodland management plan. This took the following processes:

  • Registration of relevant woodland field parcels on the RPA system. This is required to be able to access the woodland grants on offer
  • Applying for the Woodland Management Planning Grant
  • Site visit and survey including onsite constraints checks, gathering inventory and mensuration data, and assessing boundaries and access routes
  • Desk based constraint checks and consultations with stakeholders including the Nidderdale Area of Natural Beauty (AONB) team and neighbouring landowners
  • Drafting the woodland management plan, plan of operations and maps and submitting this to the Forestry Commission for assessment and approval
  • Operational activity including thinning, coppice management and woodland protection due to start in late 2022/early 2023

Outcomes of the support received under the project will be an approved woodland management plan, a 10-year plan of operations and a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier application for woodland management support. Some operational activity, including securing fence lines where livestock are gaining access to the woodlands and some thinning work will begin late 2022 and into early 2023.


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Image: Low Wood Farm Woodland Management Plan - Operational Activities Plan
Image: Low Wood Farm- ancient and semi natural woodland of a type commonly found in the Nidderdale AONB
Image: Low Wood Farm – oak regeneration
Image: Low Wood Farm – mature oaks